The Koneko
by kitty of silver
Summary: She's a hanyou with an amazing power. Is it any surprise that Naraku's after her? Will she escape, or will he finally catch her? First chapter story. No haters please.
1. Finding the light

_Rin panted as she raced through the forest, dodging trees and roots as best she could. The sounds of howling and barking filled the still, humid air as the wolves gave chase. The sound of paws thudding against the dirt was almost inaudible. The little human looked behind her... and tripped. As she struggled to get up, the wolves surrounded her. They were an earthy brown, and their fur glowed softly in the moonlight. Rin screamed as the wolves pounced on her._

Rin's scream sounded through the forest as she woke from the nightmare. Sesshomaru bolted into the clearing to find a startled AhUn and a frenzied Jaken trying to quiet Rin's sobs. The green-skinned demon was patting her shoulder, saying, "Don't cry, Rin. Please stop crying." It was a cool spring night, and it was also the third night the little human had woken up screaming. Sesshomaru knelt beside her and she buried her face into his side, tears streaming down her face. He was going to have to find a way to banish her nightmares for good.

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Naraku sniffed. The scent trail led him through Kaede's village, which he happily followed. The fragile straw houses lay scattered everywhere once he'd finished searching for his target. The target was a half-demon girl who always seemed a step ahead. The raven-haired demon had lost much rest chasing her, and he couldn't wait to get his claws on her. He couldn't wait to cut her tounge out and rip her flesh. Naraku felt the devilish grin slid over his lips as he contemplated her death.

Kagura appeared beside him, follwed closely by Kanna. "Naraku, she's not here." "No, duh. I knew that the second I got here." "Oh. Then why did you tear the village apart?" She expected him to get angry, but he threw his head back and laughed. "Stupid woman, I did it because I wanted to." "Oh," was all Kagura said in reply.

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Rin stirred, but her eyes didn't open. Soon, she settled down and slept peacefully. Sesshomaru watched her and Jaken as they slept. An odd sensation tugged at his heart, but he ignored it. It grew more insistant, but still he ignored it. Rin coughed and Jaken turned over onto his back. Other than that, the night was quiet. _It's too quiet_, Sesshomaru thought. Just then, he smelled smoke and burned human flesh. The silver-haired demon lept to his feet, startling AhUn, and picked Rin up. She opened her eyes and asked, "Lord Sesshomaru, where are we going?" He put a finger to her lips, silencing her, and put her on AhUn. Jaken woke up and scrambled to get to his feet. "Jaken, take Rin towords the heart of the woods. Stay there until I come for you." Before they could protest, he took off into the night, heading for the source of the smell.

Sesshomaru was so busy trying to orient the location of the smell that he didn't notice the girl running right for him. They collided and she fell back with a small cry. Looking down on her, the golden-eyed demon saw her shirt was blood-stained and her face was bruised. She had waist-length red hair pulled back into a braid and emerald green eyes. She popped to her feet and shook her head. "Sorry. Gotta' go. Gotta' hurry." She didn't look up at him, just tried to run past him. Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and held her in place. "Who are you, and why do you have to hurry?" She looked up and her eyes narrowed. "My name is Akari, and it's none of your buissness." "It wouldn't have anything to do with the smell coming from a village, would it?" He raised one eyebrow and smirked. She paled and she glanced behind her. "Kaede knew he would come for me, but she insisted." Sesshomaru's curiousity sparked and he asked, "Who is 'he'?" Akari looked up at him and opened her mouth to tell him, but no sound came out. Instead, she jerked her arm free and tackled Sesshomaru to the ground.

He was about to slap her for doing that, but he heard the blade swish over them, right where his head had been. Akari was quiet, but her fangs were bared. Sesshomaru followed her gaze and saw a raven-haired demon step out from behind a tree. "Naraku," he growled. The other demon smiled mockingly. Kagura materialized beside him. She was stone-faced, and Kanna held her mirror to her chest.

They got to their feet. Akari slowly moved backwards, so slowly that Sesshomaru almost missed it. Naraku, it seemed, also noticed. He vanished and reappeared behind Akari, wrapping his arms around hers, pinning them to her side. She struggled, but Kanna turned her mirror to face them. "Don't look in her mirror!" Sesshomaru closed his golden eyes just as a brilliant flash of white light enveloped them all.

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When the silver-haired demon finnally opened his eyes, the sinister trio had dissapeared. Akari was on her knees, panting. He knelt beside her. "What was that?" She didn't hear him, just whispered to herself between pants. "Shouldn't have done that... could've gotten out... it'll take forever... get back to normal... dammit..." She eventually caught her breath and looked up at him. "Naraku's your enemy, too?" Sesshomaru nodded, then asked, "What did you do?" She bit her lip and brushed back a strand of red hair. "Well, I'm half-human. The other half of me is a Light Cat. Even though I'm still a _koneko_." "Light Cat?" She nodded slowly, reluctant to tell him anything. "A Light Cat can chase away darkness using their inner light. Like I just did and wasn't supposed to. Shishou said I was far advanced, but I shouldn't have done that."

"If you can chase away darkness, does that mean you can prevent nightmares?" Akari shrugged. "I've never tried, but I might be able to." Sesshomaru didn't say anything. If she could banish darkness, he had just found a way to stop Rin's nightmares. Akari sighed. "I never should have left home," she muttered, "Even though I don't like Haku, I should've just stayed." She turned away, but Sesshomaru saw the tears in her eyes. "_Nakanai de_. There is no reason to cry." Akari brushed her tears away and said, "Actually, there is. _Koneko_ girls hardly cry. I'm just upset, not you'd care, _Inu_." The silver-haired demon shook his head and stood up, pulling her with him. "I do care, because I need you to chase some darkness from a little human girl." Akari was caught off-guard, and Sesshomaru pulled her along, already searching for AhUn's scent.

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"Damn that Sesshomaru!" Naraku threw his dagger at the tree, angry as hell. He jerked it from the wood, still angry as hell. When Kagura came up, he whirled on her, (You guessed it) angry as hell. The woman stepped back as Naraku snarled at her. "What!?" Kagura hesitated for a second, then said, "Well... It seems that Sesshomaru, well, took Akari with him." She flinched as the raven-haired demon growled angrily. Kanna materialized beside Kagura and said, "My Lord, if you wish, I could use the mirror to capture her. Your wish is my will." He said nothing and waved them away. _I will find you, Akari. You cannot hide forever._

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And so concludes chapter 1. Thanks for reading. Chapter 2 will be up ASAP. ^_^

Japanese Terms and their meaning

Akari = light

Koneko = kitten

Nakanai de = don't cry

Inu = dog

I do not own anyone except Akari.

Please reveiw and comment and blah... blah... blah...

Oh, and enough with the negative reveiws. If you got something to say to me, pm me, k?

Thanks,

kitty of silver


	2. Revelation

Akari woke up, opening her emerald eyes slowly. Sitting up, she yawned quietly. She looked around. The silver-haired demon, Sesshomaru, was sitting on the other side of the huge oak tree. The little human, Rin, and the green-skinned demon, Jaken, slept on the roots that stuck up from the ground. The two-headed dragon, AhUn, was still, but its eyes were open. Sesshomaru stood up and faced her. "You, _hanyou_, did it work?" Akari shrugged, ignoring the fact that he'd called her _hanyou_. It's what she was.

Rin stirred and sat up. "_Ohayou gozaimasu_." She saw Akari and her mouth clamped shut. Sesshomaru turned to Rin. "Did you have a nightmare last night?" The little girl shook her head. "Not one." He nodded once, then glanced at the red-haired half-demon. "Looks like you weren't needed after all." "Then why'd you drag me along?" He shrugged, slightly amused by her attitude. "I guess it was to save you from Naraku." Akari was silent, then reluctantly said, "_Arigatou_. I probably need your help. No matter how much I hate to admit it." Sesshomaru smirked and sat down on one of the roots. _I need to figure out what to do about her. I can't take her with me, but she stopped Rin's nightmares. She's a half-breed, but she has some good abilities. Should I take her with me, or leave her?_

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Naraku ran through the forest, weaving between trees. Kagura and Kanna flew overhead. After Akari had gotten away, he had been plotting his revenge. The blast of light had left him weakened and dizzy, and it had pissed him off so bad. He would find her and make use of his blood-thirsty dagger. First, he would have to make sure no one would ever find her. Which meant that no one but himself could know where she went. Which, in turn, meant he would have to get rid of Kagura and Kanna.

The raven-haired demon smelled Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon long before the rest of them. Naraku grinned evilly and slowed a little bit. Soon, he was merely crawling along the invisible path. Kagura landed beside him, Kanna at her side. "Naraku, why did you stop?" Silently, he turned to face her. Quickly and efficiently, he slit Kagura's throat. She fell to the ground in a puddle of blood as Kanna vanished into the shadows, hiding from him. Naraku shook his head and returned to hunting for Akari.

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The fire crackled as Rin put some more twigs in. Sesshomaru had found a river and caught some fish. He handed them to Akari, who said, "Thanks, _inu shounen_." He ignored her and sat down. The girls started to cook the fish and the smell soon filled the air. The human girl sniffed happily and smiled. "Smells good." Akari nodded once, not looking away from the fire.

"Akari, why is Naraku after you?" The half-demon blinked, surprised, then looked away. "I don't want to talk about it." Rin, not hearing the unwilling tone in her voice, asked, "Why not? Is it bad?" Sesshomaru pretended not to care, but he was paying close attention. "Well... it happened a long time ago," Akari said, staring into the fire. "When I went on my first scout-out, I met him. Only, he was different than now." She turned the fish to the other side and continued. "We talked a long time, and I liked him. A lot. We met whenever possible, so often, that my father grew suspicious. He followed me one day and saw Naraku." Akari paused, caught up in the memory. "After Naraku left and I was returning home, Father stopped me. He told me about all the things Naraku had done, and I was horrified. I felt so stupid for falling for such an _oniaku_." She sighed, as if scolding herself, and smiled sadly. "After three weeks passed, Naraku came looking for me. I told him I didn't want to see him ever again, but he wouldn't leave. Father came home, found Naraku, and attacked him." "What happened?" Akari looked at Rin sadly. "Naraku killed my father."

Rin stared open-mouthed at the red-haired half-demon. Sesshomaru spoke up. "Then why is Naraku after you?" She glanced at him, and said, "Well, I think he hasn't given up on what he was after all those years ago." Rin didn't get it, but the demons did. Naraku had actually fallen in love with her, and that's why he wanted her so badly. "So, why did you leave your home?" Akari shook her head. "There were a few reasons. One, Naraku killed my father. Two, Mother had made me_ iinazuke_ to one of the men in my village. Something I did not accept." She growled softly and Sesshomaru almost smiled. The _hanyou_ girl was spirited, and he could see why Naraku had fallen in love with her.

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Naraku watched them as Akari told them her story. It was painful for him to recall the time she spoke of. He had fallen in love with her, and he still loved her. Hell, it was one of the reasons why he was still chasing her. He shook his head and pulled out his dagger. Going up against Sesshomaru was suicide, but Naraku was only there for Akari. He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree.

At first, they didn't notice him. Then the little human looked up and stared straight at him, eyes wide. Akari followed her gaze and turned to see Naraku standing a few feet away. Sesshomaru lept in front of the little girl and drew Tensaga. The raven-haired demon smirked and said, "I'm not here to kill your human. I'm here for her." He gestured to Akari. She hissed, fangs bared, looking strangely like a fire demon. Naraku held out his hand and a long snake-like vine shot out and almost slit Akari's throat. She lept over it and Sesshomaru cut it in half. The raven-haired demon smirked again and several more vine things shot out. "Rin, get out of here," Sesshomaru shouted. Akari ducked a vine-thing and picked up Rin. The _hanyou_ lept over vines, using them like stepping stones, and dropped the little human onto AhUn. The two-headed dragon ran out of there like all Hell had broke loose (which it probably had).

As soon as Akari turned around, she was knocked back by a vine. It wrapped itself around her waist and dragged her towards Naraku. With a snarl, the silver-haired demon cut her free and whirled on Naraku. His eyes were blood-red, which terrified Akari. She had heard about demon's that went berserk and killed anything that pissed them off, but she'd never seen it. Now, here it was, happening right before her. Sesshomaru cut Naraku's arm and almost chopped his head off, but the raven-haired demon turned and ran, clutching his bleeding arm. Sesshomaru turned to her and raised Tensaga, as if to cut her open. "Wait! _Inu shounen_, focus. Remember who you are." The silver-haired demon hesitated, the closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, they were golden-yellow again. Relief flooded through her when a recognition flashed in his eyes. Akari stood up and looked Sesshomaru directly in the eyes. "_Arigatou_, again." He blinked, then a ghost of a smirk flitted over his pale lips.

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Thanks for reading. Chapter three will be up as soon as I'm done, so you must wait! BWAHAHAHA!

Please reveiw, no negative reveiws, please.

Terms and their meaning:

Hanyou = half-demon

Ohayou gozaimasu = good morning

Arigatou = thanks

inu shounen = dog boy (This is my favorite one ^-^)

oniaku = (evil/bad/distrustful) demon

iinazuke = fiance


	3. Near death

This chapter takes place a year after chapter two, so here's a quick run down.

Akari's day(more often than not, this is how it went):

1) Wake up, make breakfast, clean up, get ready to go(possibly annoy Sesshomaru)

2) Move at a maddeningly slow pace, AhUn had a hard time keeping up with her quick running pace

3) Rest, play, eat, clean up, go

4) Fight (and kick butt) with Naraku

5) Rest after fight, tend to wounds(if any), clean up, go

6) Stop for the night, get Rin to sleep, watch said girl sleep while contemplating the day and several other things, worry while Sesshomaru is gone hunting, then fall into an exausted sleep

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What wasn't mentioned step 6, was that Akari wasn't worried about being attacked, but that Sesshomaru would be attacked. She stood in front of the dim fire, worrying(of course!) _What can I say? Living with him for a year has rubbed off on me._ She shrugged and started braiding her long, red hair. It was a shade darker now, more burgendy than ruby. Her emerald eyes, however, were getting brighter and brighter every day. _Strange. Oh well, probably as inexplicable as my pull to Sesshomaru. No reason, just happens._

Pleased with her rational explination, Akari barely heard the silver-haired demon come back. He came to the tiny clearing from behind her, but she didn't turn around. He smelled faintly of blood, but she still ignored him, continuing to braid her hair. Akari tied it off and let her hands fall to her lap. Silently, nearly imperceptible, Sesshomaru moved closer to the red-haired _hanyou_. She was half-asleep, so she didn't realize he was so close until it was too late. His long, slender arms slid around her shoulders and he pulled her against his body.

She was surprised, yet there was a sense of rightness in the embrace. His voice was normally soft, but he whispered even softer. "Akari," he breathed, close to inaudible, "Something weighs heavily on your heart. What is it? Tell me, please." She hesitated, then turned her head to look at him. "I wish I could, but I've learned a lesson that prevents me from doing so." He considered it for a moment, then moved to stand beside her, his back to the fire. "Why can't you tell me? What lesson won't let you speak your mind?" Akari looked into the fire, contemplating his questions and the best way to answer them. As if on an invisible signal, they sat on the ground at the same time.

Akari shook her head, aburn hair shining in the firelight. "Naraku." One word with a thousand explanations. The silver-haired demon nodded slowly, not looking at the _hanyou_. "The bane of everyone's existance," he murmured. Akari giggled at his little joke. His golden eyes flickered to her, then away. They lapsed into a peaceful silence, and she nodded off, emerald eyes drifting shut. She leaned a little to the side, unconciously touching Sesshomaru's shoulder with her own. He looked at her, dissapointed. He had never gotten to say what he had planned to. Instead, he moved slowly and gently lowered Akari to the ground. He lay beside her, her head on his chest, and stared up at the stars. They glittered merrily, like little diamonds. _Like Akari's eyes_, he thought, but he shook it away. _What's going on? I couldn't be faling in love with her, could I?_ He shrugged slightly, not wanting to wake the sleeping _hanyou_, and his own gold eyes eventually closed.

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No Naraku, sorry!

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Akari opened her eyes when the sun rose, the light spilling through the trees like a river over a cliff. She was momentarily disoriented. Her head rested on a flat, white rock. _But, if it's a rock, why is it moving? Like it's breathing?_

Her question was answered when she lifted her head. It wasn't a rock, it was Sesshomaru. He was asleep, his face relaxed, hands under his head. A quick smile flitted across Akari's lips. He acted tough, but he was so different than what he let people think. She stood up slowly and moved to the remains of the fire. Adding some twigs and blowing on the coals, she re-ignited the blaze.

Sesshomaru propped himself up on one elbow and watched the emerald-eyed _hanyou_ feed wood into the fire. She looked so serene, it was hard to imagine the fury that fueled her in a fight with Naraku, no matter how many times in the past year he had seen it. _Her hair is darker. Not so much red, but more brown than before._ He wondered idlely if it was a half-demon thing, or if it was just her. Akari looked at him and smiled. "_Ohayou gozaimasu_. Did you sleep well?" He nodded. She smiled again and returned her attention to the fire. Sesshomaru got to his feet and pulled out Tensaga. Though he didn't really need to, he sparred with an imaginary opponent. It distracted him from everything that was on his mind. The thoughts that kept repeating themselves came as follows:

Akari

Naraku (what to do about kicking his ass)

Akari

His hatred for Inuyasha, his half-brother

Akari

If it was possible to be any better and more powerful than he was

Akari

Akari

Akari

The half-demon girl was the most prominent thought he trying to let go of. It didn't work. Even though she wasn't looking at him, he still saw her impossibly bright green eyes. Dodging and striking, Sesshomaru fell easily into a thoughtless process. It was like a dance, smooth and graceful.

The golden-eyed demon was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Akari had moved. Someone jumped on his shoulders and tackled him to the ground. He shook her off and glared at the _hanyou_. She grinned and stood up, offering her hand to him. He ignored it and lept to his feet. Akari shrugged and turned away. He pounced on her, causing her to squeak in surprise, and ran his finger across her cheek. He smiled and whispered, "Now we're even." She giggled and they stepped away. Akari touched her cheek where he'd run his finger and smiled mysteriously. Sesshomaru shook the feeling away and returned to what he'd been doing.

Rin was the last to wake. Breakfast was ready, so she had some freshly-caught fish. It was delicious. As she was eating, she looked around for Akari to thank her for making the food, but the red-haired _hanyou_ was gone. Sesshomaru was sitting on a rock a few feet away. "Lord Sesshomaru, where's Akari?" He looked at her. "She and Jaken went to the river to wash off." Rin nodded. At least neither girl was alone.

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Akari watched Jaken as he filled the cup with water. Turning away from her, he poured it into something. The green-skinned demon refused to show her, not that she cared. After a year, it eventually became unconcerning. Akari stared at the river, trying to gauge the speed of the currents.

As Jaken turned around, she dove into the water, aburn hair flying behind her. She came up on the other side of the river, standing in the shallow water. Judging from her expression, the water was cold. She kept swimming and having fun in the river until Sesshomaru, Rin, and AhUn came up to the riverbank. She beckoned for them to come play. Rin ran to the shore, laughing girls played around, playing tag and water fight. Jaken sighed impatiently, but the golden-eyed demon beside him watched them with a hint of a smile tugging the corner of his lips.

Rin slipped and landed in the water. She was swept away by the currents, screaming. Before the two demons could react, Akari dove in and swam after the little girl. Sesshomaru ordered Jaken to stay there, then took off after the girls. The _hanyou_ had reached Rin, but she was tired, with no strength left to fight the current. Her emerald eyes fluttered closed. Sesshomaru, seeing her start to lose conciousness, shouted to Rin, "Rin! Keep her head above water!" The little human tried, but only so well.

The silver-haired demon finnally pulled ahead and found a tree that overlooked the river. Grabbing one of the branches, he reached out to the little girl. Rin clung to Akari as the golden-eyed demon pulled them out. Coughing, gasping for breath, the little human sat against the tree. Sesshomaru knelt beside the unconcious _hanyou_ and held her in a sitting position. After a long moment, Akari coughed and spit out water, then collapsed against Sesshomaru. Her eyes were cloudy, but she was breathing. Right now, that was all he could ask for.

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Akari felt light-headed. She tried to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down. Rin and Jaken were on one side, Sesshomaru on the other. She looked up at him, and her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She quickly coughed to cover up her blush, but the silver-haired demon saw it. He gave her a quick smile, then touched her shoulder. "She'll be fine. Rin, time for you to get to sleep."

Akari sat up. "How long was I out?" Sesshomaru pushed her back down and replied, "Long enough for us to find out you talk in your sleep." Her cheeks turned pink again. Rin giggled. "Don't worry. You don't actually talk. You mew in your sleep." The _hanyou_ girl blinked, then laughed. "Well, I'm half-cat. So, it's really no surprise that I mew like one." Rin giggled again, then said good-night. She left and curled up near the fire.

After a moment, Jaken did the same. Sesshomaru stretched out beside Akari. "Do I really mew in my sleep, or were you teasing me?" He shrugged, looking up at the sky. "I'm not sure what it is, but it was strange." She stared at the stars, unable to bring herself to say what she wanted to. So, she settled for the second-most pressing issue. "What do you think about marrige?" He sat up suddenly. "What?!" "Calm down. Not you, but me. Remeber, when we first traveled together? I told you that Mother gave me as a wife to someone in my village?" Sesshomaru nodded, his eyes narrowed. "Well," she continued, ignoring his glare, "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I'd never left. If I had wanted to stay, to get married and have a family, where would we be now?" The silver-haired demon laid back down. Now that he knew what she was talking about, he understood. Sort of.

Sesshomaru waited for her to go on, but she didn't. He glanced at her. Her emerald eyes were closed. Akari had fallen asleep. She looked so innocent, so beautiful, that he instantly forgot why he was irritated. Running his finger over her lips, he realized that his chance has slipped past again. _Damn it. I have to tell her. Now she's having second thoughts about leaving home. What if she decides to go back? It's not like I can stop her. I have to tell her as soon as I can, before she slips away like the days._

As he had these thoughts, Sesshomaru had no idea that several pairs of eyes watched his every move. Three were right behind them, while another was behind Rin. As Sesshomaru closed his eyes, the others did too.

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There's chapter three. Hope you liked it.

Don't hate me for the cliffy, but it's neccessary.

Terms and their meaning (not many in this chapter):

Hanyou = half-demon

Ohayou gozaimasu = good morning

Please review. Be positive. Chapter 4 up soon. Promise.


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